Monday, March 5, 2012

C4T#3

Mr. Crosby wrote on his blog about Should kids' grades call the shots on who teaches and who goes home, which eluded to another article Teachers Talk about Evaluation. He was asked to comment on this article and his response was simple. He believed that social issues played a large role in how kids act and learn in class and that test should not be a way to measure the performance of a teacher. He felt that we should "face it head on", the social problems that effect our children. The article goes beyond his response to say that tests were being implemented as performance tools on teachers. Theses new procedures would take scores on standard test and award teachers with the highest grades and punish those with the lowest test scores. Most to all teachers polled agreed this was not the best way to evaluate teachers and that the measurement required more defining before it was released nation wide.
My comment was directed toward how teachers should look at this as an opportunity to grow in their field and not as a way to hold them back. Its funny teachers tell students to look at tests as a measure of their progress and not a way to put the student down. Yet, when it is applied to teachers it is being utilized in a way to put them down or keeping them from getting that deserved raise. I went on to explain that if teachers were interested in making money they were in the wrong profession. Teaching is a calling, not a lottery.

This post is on the same teacher I previously reviewed, Mr. Crosby, but this post focused on children growing and making relationships across the US. The post Leaving Their Mark - Redux, Redux focused on his achievements using Skype to reach out, not only to his students, but to other students nationwide. He taught his students the value of technology by incorporating it into his daily classroom life. He also, managed to wedge in a "head fake", to quote Randy Pausch. Mr. Crosby was able to teach grammar, writing skills, and technology in his use of Skype and blogging. Overall his intent, I believe, was to allow the student to grow intellectually but in a natural way and by the end of his 3 years with them he had produced a better student in technology, proofreading, writing, and spelling, as well as touching the lives of other students around the nation.
I was profoundly inspired by this piece. I was amazed at the level these young children excelled too. In the beginning they could barely explain where they lived and by they end they were blogging and using Skype like veterans. I was especially amazed at the multifaceted way Mr. Crosby incorporated the education into the daily interactions with technology. To educate children without them knowing they are being educated is truly the highest form of teaching. I hope that as I grow into the position of a teacher that I too could follow in the steps of a great educator like Mr. Crosby and help my future students excel in their scholastic journeys.